Reasons for Support 1

• After WWII and at the start of the Cold War, many Americans feared communists would start a revolution in the USA.
• Communists were forced out of jobs and homes, and some were arrested.
• This fear was called the ‘Red Scare’.

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• This fear of communism led many Americans to support the war in Vietnam as a way of stopping a communist takeover of the country.
• This was the most common reason for support of the war.

• However, the Red Scare also explains why the US only wanted a limited war in Vietnam.
• As they didn’t want to escalate the war into a full scale war with the USSR.
• The Vietnam War was a ‘flashpoint’ in the Cold War.

• Another reason why people supported the war was patriotism; for the love and loyalty to the USA.
• This meant when the government told people to take part in the war, many people did so willingly as they didn’t want to let America down.

• Patriots also didn’t want to let America ‘lose face’ by giving in to another country, as it would make the USA look weak.

• The ‘Hard Hats’ was a nickname given to construction workers who supported the war.
• On 8th May 1970, some ‘Hard Hats’ attacked an anti-war protest in New York, beating up some of the protesters.

• The police did nothing to stop them, and two days later they held their own pro-war rally outside City Hall.
• About 60,000 people attended this rally.